Voltaire
- Lord Pococurante from Candide
"Fools admire everything in a celebrated author. I only read to please myself, and I only like what suits me." Candide, who had been taught never to judge anything for himself, was greatly surprised by what he heard; and Martin thought Pococurante's way of thinking was, quote, reasonable.
Benjamin Myers
- The Offing
"But how can you fall out with the sea?" "Because you just can," she said, a little more sternly than I expected. We fell silent. "I notied your kitchen tap is dripping," I said. "The washer has probably gone." "Yes," Dulcie said vaguely, distracted. "I expect it has." "I could replace it for you." She ignored my deliberate attempt to steer the course of the conversation. She had other ideas.